4

Corc’s fighting spirit had surged, he was already slaying the Elosians and Duesart in his mind. If only it was so clear cut, and simple. It was true that a Luedren army was approaching, but the reason was a mystery.

“He’s come to help get rid of these barbarians” Tidwield yelled with a couple of burst of hysterical laughter.

“Thank you, you may go now” Seblas said to the scouts. “My lord!” the scouts said, taking a bow to Tidwield before departing the tent.

“My lord, I don’t trust King Tomasan, I always feel like he’s hiding something” Seblas said. “Oh, Seblas, I don’t trust him, but Genogem and Luedren are allies. I couldn’t have made it this far against the Duesart without Luedren pressure on the Elosians” Tidwield said.

“I don’t trust him either father, there are rumors that he poisoned his own family. That sort of man can not be trusted for such a decisive battle” Corc said defiantly.

“If it was him, then you have nothing to worry about, poison is a weapon for the weak, for one, who could not take a kingdom by sword. No man like that would ever best me!” Tidwield said, loudly lecturing.

“He’s a snake that hides his fangs, father and you’re letting him get near. I don’t remember hearing that the royal family poisoner was ever caught” Corc said. “He would have to catch himself, like eating his own tail!” remarked Sablas

“He dare not betray me, I would skin him alive” said Tidwield twisting an imaginary snake with his hands.

“Did you call upon him, father?” Corc asks. “No…he must sense the destruction of Duesart is at hand” Tidwield answers.

“I think he senses the spoils of war at hand, your majesty” Seblas said, his experienced voice never sounding so confident.

“He can have most of the spoils if he helps me get a foothold on these lands. Then we’ll have a clear path to Ufravl city, the heart of the Duesart kingdom. If Ufravl falls, then Duesart is as good as mine!” proclaimed Tidwield.

“Salbas, what is Ufravl like?” Corc asked. Corc couldn’t imagine a city run by savages.

“Black market merchants have told me they’ve seen spectacular temples surrounded by simple wooden houses and fur tents. They’ve seen warriors training by large fires on the temple’s courtyard and their chiefs overseeing them from steps above. They said the food is pale in flavor, the liquor strong, and their entertainment is battles” Seblas told. “Temples? These animals?” Corc asked.

“Temples where they worship the most skilled warriors” Tidwield interrupted. “And once Ufravl is mine, the beasts will worship me, I will be their divine warlord. Soon the whole of Duesart will fall to me. Once I have united the north, I will unleash the beasts to the south, to Elosia. Then I will have no need for the Leuxdre alliance or King Tomasan. I will have the beasts feast on his corpse. The whole land of Dragon’s den will be united under my banner”

“Father, I’ve never seen anyone with Duesart troops in their ranks. How are you to control these animals, they don’t even seem human at times” Corc asked.

“Corc is right, My lord. They don’t like orders, each one does what ever he wants. Before their alliance, they suffered greatly against the well organized Elosian troops” Seblas pointed out. “I will make a way, I will be the first outlander to command an army of Duesarts, mark my words, Seblas” Tidwield said, clutching his fist in front of him.

“Well, not quite, my lord. There was another general who commanded a army of Duesarts before. I witnessed it myself” Sablas said with a nervous smile and slight defensive posture. He knew Tidwield wouldn’t like to hear that.

Corc couldn’t fathom it. To control an army of Duesarts in the heat of battle. He was used to his men following orders. When to charge, when to hold line, when to retreat, line formations. All of it had to be precise. Troops who charged alone, disobeyed orders, couldn’t hold lines went against his teachings.

“Let me guess, Salbas, this general you talk about got destroyed along with his Duesart troops” Corc said, leaning back against a table with his arms crossed. “No, not at all, my lord. The Elosian army he was fighting got totally destroyed, it was a magnificent victory. You should have seen it. The Duesart army charged in what looked like ocean waves. At first the Elosian army held its front line, but as more waves came they started to buckle. Each wave hitting where they were vulnerable, breaking their formation. Soon the battlefield had become chaotic, and that’s where the Duesart took them apart”

“Enough with the mystery, Salbas, tell us who this great general you admire so much is” Tidwield said in a sarcastic tone.

“It was great general Gorald Magev from Leuxdre, my lord” Salbas said. “General Gorald Magev…Gorald Magev?” Tidwield softly asked and went into a moment of silence before going into hysterical laughter as loud as when he heard King Tomasan was coming. “Salbas, have you ever heard the rumors?”

It was a rumor that had mostly faded away. Just after Gorald Magev’s death you would hear it often, mainly with the drunk as a crude joke. No one took it seriously.

“The rumors were true” Tidwield said, looking at Salbas intently with a grin and a gleam in his eyes. “You can’t mean——that rumor, my lord?” Salbas said, bewildered.

Tidwield relaxed his posture, his eyes looked sternly into the distance “I met her once, I was at a banquet of some sort for a rich noble. House Magev had just arrived so I went to greet them, excited to meet the great mysterious, general Gorald Magev, famed for never coming out of his tent.

I was shaking the hand of their house, but when they announced Gorald Riaden, well, I thought someone was mistaken. This man in front of me could not be him. He hunched at my sight, avoided all form of eye contact, he gave me a quick limp handshake and of he went”

“Did he not know who you were, father?” Corc asks, slightly offended. “Every general in all of Dragon’s den knew of your father by then, my lord” Seblas answers.

“No, there was no indication of him knowing me” Tidwield said. “He had no fight in him, he was but a dove in royal garments. I stared at him as he went of.

The whole thing happened so fast, it had caught me off guard. I didn’t know if to feel sad or insulted. But next to shake my hand was his wife, Elirian, as I turned to her, her eyes were wide open, piercing inside my soul, threatening me, challenging me to a fight”. “Ah, it filled me joy, it did. The rumors were true. Elirian——was the true commander behind Gorald Magev’s army”

“What are you saying father, a woman general?” Corc asks. The only woman he’s seen on the battlefield were mocked upon and their army shamed.

“Yes, and a very skilled one, my son. I fought alongside her Gorald Magev army a couple of times. Every time she had managed to catch the enemy off guard. She is a sly fox, that one. To think she lead an army of Duesart” Tidwield said, going from smile to serious.

“If all of this is true, my lord, then it’s shame. We could have used her reinforcements. Instead we get the one who poisoned her. What a shame, but at least she survived…somewhat” Sablas said with a hint of sight

“Father, who would win in a battle between you and Elirian” Corc asked swiftly. Tidwield looked down slightly, his eyes rapidly started moving side to side like he would always do when thinking of a battle plan. After a moment of silence “I would crush her” Tidwield said in a very deep unfriendly voice.

Corc did not expect him to think it over so much. The answer was usually swift, like it was not question at all.

Just then, more thundering in the gates bridge by a rapid horse. This time there was more commotion than the previous horseman.

They tensely waited, knowing that the horseman’s message could be crucial. “I’m sorry, my lord, I’m sorry” the messenger said right upon entering the tent. He swiftly got on one knee in front of the king “my lord, I’m sorry. Princess Siofra has been kidnapped by mountain bandits” The messenger said stuttering his words.